Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

Scam call claims to be from Central Bank
Posted: 12.13.2012 at 9:15 PM
0

If you receive a call asking for personal information, hang up immediately.

File photo
Photo

Many of our viewers have contacted us to report receiving a suspicious phone call. The scam call claims to come from Central Bank and prompts the victim to enter their card number.

Carol Scott, Central Bank vice president of operations, said, "We will never call our customers and ask them for the checking account number or social security number, the debit or credit card number, their passwords, their pins . . . If you get a call, the first question you should ask yourself is that if if this is truly my bank, why would they be asking me this?"

Scott said they started getting calls from customers Wednesday morning about the latest phishing scam, "They try to get the credit card or debit card number to use it fraudulently."

So what should you do if you get an automated call saying your debit card has been locked for security?

"hang up the phone and call a published number for your bank to find out if my bank really did call me, and if not, call and report what happened to you", Scott said.

She said
 this is just a common phishing scam and it's not surprising during the busy holiday season when people will likely need to use to use their debit cards frequently.

"The bad guys will cast a wide net. They buy phone numbers. let's say for the Mid Missouri area knowing that then if they pose to be from Central Bank, who does have a presence in the market. Some of the people who they contact will be Central Bank customers", Scott said.




The bank doesn't know how phone numbers were obtained, although it's likely the scammers simply purchased a phone list. Please note that Central Bank says their system has not been compromised.

Popular Stories
Thumbnail
'Witness issue' leads to dropped murder charge
Yesterday at 5:29 PM  |  8 comments
Thumbnail
Shooting in Cole County under investigation
Meghan Lane  |  Today at 9:01 AM  |  6 comments
Thumbnail
Health department says norovirus sickened students
Yesterday at 4:13 PM  |  1 comment
Follow Connect Mid-Missouri
Get news and weather notifications on your phone by downloading the iPhone or Android app below
Sign up to get alerts and updates for breaking news, severe weather, and deals:
submit
ADVERTISEMENT
Special Features
Relay For Life of Cole County
Friday, June 7, at 6 p.m. at the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds
Community Connection
Participate in great causes in the community!
ADVERTISEMENT